A large majority of the people in the world today use eyeglasses, either for correction of vision or to reduce the intensity of light, that is, sunglasses. Most users of eyewear have frequent need to remove the eyewear and yet keep it conveniently located to be readily replaced back on the face of the user when needed. Users typically place their removed eyewear in their shirt pocket, in a container or purse, or lay the eyewear down on a convenient surface. Some hang eyewear from the neckline of their shirt by extending one of the temples inside the shirt, thereby hanging the eyewear on the front of the shirt.
All of these methods of storing eyewear have problems. Many shirts do not have pockets, or if they have pockets, when the user bends over the eyewear is in danger of slipping out. Purses or containers for eyewear are frequently not readily available when the user needs to make immediate use of his eyewear, and when the eyewear is laid on a nearby surface it frequently is misplaced or lost entirely.
Other known methods of retaining eyewear convenient to the user includes suspending the eyewear from a cord looped around the neck of the user. Such methods include various means of attaching the ends of the cord to the earpieces of the eyewear. These devices are not easily removable from the eyewear and, therefore, can become unsightly when the eyeglasses are worn by the user. That is, the cord often extends from the ears of the user where it is highly visible to others. Therefore, there is a need for a device for hanging a pair of eyeglasses about the neck of a user which can be readily disconnected from the eyeglasses when it is desired to use the eyeglasses.
Conventional devices for retaining eyewear convenient to the user are one dimensional. That is, the devices are typically confined to the purpose of retaining the eyewear on the user and provide no other function. It is well known that eyeglasses are generally fragile and are susceptible to breakage at inconvenient times. It is not unusual for the screws which retain the temples on the front of the eyeglasses to become loose and/or lost without warning. In such events, the user must continue to wear the eyeglasses with only a single temple or fashion some type of other temporary fastener, such as tape, which is not esthetically pleasing until appropriate repair can be effected. Therefore, there is a need for a device for hanging a pair of glasses about the neck of a user which includes a tool and spare screws for repairing the eyeglasses in the event that a screw for pivotally connecting the temple and front of the eyeglasses is loose and/or lost.
The present invention overcomes many of the disadvantages inherent in the above-described eyewear retaining devices by providing a device for releasably hanging a pair of eyeglasses about a neck of a user which includes a tool and spare parts for repairing the eyeglasses in the event of breakage. The device for hanging a pair of eyeglasses of the present invention includes a small screwdriver and spare screws for repairing the eyeglasses. The screwdriver and screws are hidden from view during normal use of the device and, therefore, do not hinder the esthetically pleasing appearance of the device of the present invention. Consequently, use of the present invention enables a user of a pair of eyeglasses to readily repair the eyeglasses, even when the eyeglasses need repair at an inconvenient time.